Hokkien honorifics


The Hokkien language uses a broad array of honorific suffixes or prefixes for addressing or referring to people. Most are suffixes. Honorifics are often non-gender-neutral; some imply a feminine context while others imply a masculine one, and still others imply both.

Common honorifics

''Sian-siâ¿''

Sian-siâ¿, also pronounced sian-seâ¿ in some Hokkien dialects, is the most commonplace male honorific and is a title of respect typically used between equals of any age. Sian-siâ¿ is also used to refer to or address authority figures, especially teachers and doctors. The usage is also seen in other East Asian languages.

''Sió-chiá''

Sió-chiá is a term for an unmarried woman.

Familial honorifics

Honorifics for family members have two different forms in Hokkien.
For a younger family member to call an elder one, the prefixes a- or chó͘- is used as the honorific. The usage may also be used to mention one's own family members. For examples:
Note that it is very impolite to say lín chó͘-má in some situations; it may be regarded as a rude singular first personal pronoun for the female speakers.
For someone to mention his or her own parents to a non-family-member, the prefix lÄu- is sometimes used to replace the prefix a- as the honorific.
For someone to mention his or her own elder family members to a non-family-member, the prefix án-, which literally means my, is also used in some areas. For examples:

Occupation-related honorifics

''Sai''

Similar to suffix -su and -sÅ« mentioned later, the suffix -sai is used for some people with skillful techniques; for example, kûn-thâu-sai for martial artists, phah-thih-á-sai for blacksmiths, phah-chioÌh-sai for masons, thô͘-chúi-sai for plasterers, chóng-phò͘-sai for chefs and sai-kÅng for a daoshi.

''Su''

Many people with different occupations get their own honorifics with a suffix -su in Hokkien. For example, i-su for doctors, ioÌh-chè-su for pharmacists, kang-têng-su for engineers, lÄu-su for teachers, and luÌt-su for lawyers.

''SÅ«''

For academic degrees, the titles are suffixed with -sÅ« ; for examples, phok-sÅ« for doctorate degree, seÌk-sÅ« for master's degree, and haÌk-sÅ« for bachelor's degree. In addition, some occupations have their honorifics with a suffix -sÅ«; for example, hÅ͘-sÅ« for nurses, piÄn-sÅ« for voice-overs, and chÅ͘-sán-sÅ« for midwives.

Royal and official honorifics